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Gaz Bardhi: I don't think like Berisha about SPAK, I expect investigations against Veliaj and Balluk

2025-02-06 22:51:17Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Gazment Bardhi

The Vice President of the Democratic Party, Gazment Bardhi, in an interview with Voice of America, stated that he does not think the same way about SPAK as Sali Berisha.

Asked if he thinks SPAK is a criminal organization as Sali Berisha has stated, Bardhi said that he has never called it that and that it has been stated that the structure should be supported because it has prosecutors with integrity within it.

Speaking about the organization of the party before the elections, Bardhi expressed concern about the primaries expected to be held by the DP as it is too late to carry out the process properly.

He expressed appreciation that the party is now united and called on other political forces to unite their votes to win against the ruling Socialist Party.

Voice of America: Mr. Bardhi, the diaspora vote is taking an important place in the upcoming elections. Your party, as Mr. Berisha stated yesterday, has set as a condition that for the approval of some new changes to the Electoral Code, agreed upon and with a majority, the voting of those who do not have any Albanian documents be included. Mr. Berisha states that this must be done since two-thirds of Albanians abroad are deprived, while the CEC has given an official figure of 160 thousand. Why this insistence on this point, which could jeopardize other phases of this diaspora voting process?

Gazment Bardhi : Because we believe that every citizen of the Republic of Albania, regardless of whether they live in Albania or abroad, has the right to vote and influence the government in Albania and in the category of citizens living abroad, the fact of whether or not they have an Albanian biometric document cannot deprive them of their constitutional right to vote. The biometric identification document only provides security to identify the person and this can also be achieved with an identification document, for example from the United States of America or a country of the European Union. And we appreciate that the administrative bureaucracy in this case, i.e. the fact of whether or not they have an Albanian identification document, cannot deprive these citizens of Albania, regardless of whether they live abroad, of their right to vote. We do not understand the Socialist Party's insistence on depriving a broad community of Albanian citizens, because it is not a small number, even the Central Election Commission does not have exact figures in this regard, but it is a considerable number of Albanian citizens who, for one reason or another, have not deemed it necessary to have two identification documents. They have only kept the document of the country where they live, but continue to be Albanian citizens.

Voice of America: Delays in this regard would also affect delays in the changes that are being proposed to give immigrants more time to vote, which would hinder them if this process is dragged out with the request that your party has made. Don't you think that by making this a condition, this makes voting more difficult for the diaspora?

Gazment Bardhi : It's not about a longer period of time. So, the time has not been requested to give Albanian citizens living abroad the opportunity to vote...

Voice of America: I'm talking about the time that is available for them to be able to...

Gazment Bardhi: This is for the Central Election Commission. So, the Central Election Commission has requested more time for itself to prepare for the process of sending the ballot to Albanian citizens. If the changes do not occur, of course the Central Election Commission, that is, the state commissioner, will have to increase human resources in this process and achieve within the time currently set by law the right or enable the right of citizens to vote. So there are no obstacles in this regard. So, ten days more or ten days less, is more for the Central Election Commission than for the citizens who will vote. The time for them to vote is sufficiently available, either to receive the ballot, or to return it completed with the expression of will as to who they would like to see in government.

Voice of America: Let's move on to your party's political issues. Mr. Bardhi, for these elections, the Democratic Party will for the first time hold a primary process, as provided for in its statute. Are you concerned that the primaries could penalize that group that until yesterday, like you, strongly opposed the return of Mr. Berisha to the leadership of the DP?

Gazment Bardhi: First, I think that every member of the Democratic Party has appreciated and greatly appreciates the fact that the Democratic Party is united today and undoubtedly is united, but also thanks to what you called the group that I led or that I lead on behalf of the parliamentary group, which recently joined, the group that Mr. Berisha led. Now we are all the Democratic Party and the members of the Democratic Party. In my assessment and as far as I see in daily contacts with them, we appreciate the contribution of each of the deputies for what they have given in defense of the public interest. So, in this regard, I have no concern. My concern arises from the fact that first of all we are very late for this process. So, we are very close to the elections and we will have to wait, there are no approved rules yet and we will have to wait for the rules and I have said this several times publicly but also within the party institutions, that the rules should be such that they do not create instability in the party, do not create clashes in the party because this would not be healthy three months before the elections. So, my concern is only related to this part because in the end, each of us members of the Democratic Party has no interest in who the names of the deputies are. Our interest is for the DP to win the next parliamentary elections. This is the major interest of every member of the DP.

Voice of America: Mr. Bardhi, how much is the opposition penalized by the fragmentation that has occurred in recent years, by the problems it has had, considering that we also have several newly created parties, which although they may not threaten the Democratic Party, can take away groups of votes from it?

Gazment Bardhi: I believe that fragmentation in itself is harmful and this has been the reason why I have always called for us to be first united within the DP, each of us preserving our own opinions, but also to be united as an opposition front. The opposition today does not have the luxury of having several segments within itself where the opponent is unified. The opposition also, if the goal is to defeat Edi Rama, will have to be all united. If then, any of the parties that have been created or inherited simply aims to divide the opposition in order to keep Edi Rama in government for another four years, that is, after 12 years of misgovernment, to give him the opportunity to have another four-year term, I am fully convinced that every opposition member who wants change in Albania understands this and will not waste their votes on any of these parties. So, for better or worse, each of us, while preserving our own identity, will have to group under a common opposition formation, preserving ideas, preserving proposals, preserving our positions, so this does not make us unified, but we will have to define the objective and if the objective is to defeat Edi Rama, then the opposition front is the only solution.

Voice of America: All polls, including the latest one by the International Republican Institute, have praised the SPAK institution, saying that it is trustworthy even among citizens. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party and its chairman have attacked it. Don't you think such a stance is reasonable, considering the role this institution is playing?

Gazment Bardhi: I have had and have also publicly expressed my position regarding SPAK. I urge and have always urged SPAK to do its duty. Of course, I expected and expect much more due to the extraordinary corrupt affairs that are happening or have happened during these 12 years, I expect much more results. I expect there to be serious investigations against the Mayor of Tirana who continues to remain in office even though SPAK itself has said in a public statement that he is suspected based on evidence of having committed four criminal offenses. I expect there to be serious investigations against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, so I expect SPAK to perform independently and completely professionally in accordance with the law.

Voice of America: But you don't call it a criminal organization like Mr. Berisha?

Gazment Bardhi: No, no, I never called it that because I said that despite the problems that the Special Anti-Corruption Structure has, there are prosecutors with integrity within it who should be supported to do their job properly. At the moment we are speaking, the only call I have is to act quickly. Albanians expect real punishments against corruption.


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